AR platform in 243 cal.

I am not usually a fan of AR rifles type, but recently I have had the urge to buy one since I shot my brother's bushmaster. I'm retired military so I've had my share of this rifles. Where would you guys go to get one in a 243 cal. I do not want 5.56. I guess I got a little nostalgic after being retired 15 yrs and not shooting this type of rifle anymore.

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W.E.G.

July 26, 2010, 10:09 AM

Dpms LR-243

http://www.dpmsinc.com/firearms/firearm.aspx?id=23

crossrhodes

July 26, 2010, 04:48 PM

You can expect at least a 24 month wait from DPMS. If you go to the DPMS forum you will see A LOT of customers that have waited, still waiting over 18 months. They may tell you 3 to 6 over the phone but it won't happen. They told me 4 months so I'll give them 4 months then cancel and buy a Bushmaster or Stag.
I have heard good reports on their hunting caliber AR platform rifles. There is some bitching about them but that's the Chevy/Ford argument and not enough to discredit DPMS....good rifles, crapy wait times.

RyanM

July 26, 2010, 05:04 PM

Might have better luck buying an AR-10 from somewhere else, and try to find a .243 barrel. Have a gunsmith swap the barrel if you don't wanna. Should work with the .308 bolt, since .243 is basically just a necked-down .308.

No way of getting that size a cartridge into a "true" AR-15, though.

There are days when I think a shorter cartridge that replicates .243 ballistics, say a good 107 gr OTM bullet at 2700 fps from a 16" barrel, would be the absolute ideal antipersonnel round. Same recoil as a 7.62x39mm, yet flatter shooting than a 180 gr .308.

Col. Plink

July 26, 2010, 09:25 PM

"a good 107 gr OTM bullet at 2700 fps from a 16" barrel"

What caliber would this be? I really want an AR in .243 but have been told you have to have a 20"+ barrel...

ms6852

July 27, 2010, 04:48 AM

Thanks for the info guys, W.E.G. thanks for the link. Its a shame the wait time is so long.

Tirod

July 27, 2010, 09:39 AM

An AR10 is 2.5 pounds heavier than a 15, no comparison. It's not the light, handy, and short little brother that every serviceman grew to appreciate carrying for weeks at a time.

"a good 107 gr OTM bullet at 2700 fps from a 16" barrel" - check the 6.8 SPC II. Barnes 95gr can do that in a AR15. Wait times are not ridiculous, ballistics continue to improve as 6.8 specific bullets are designed, and there are dozens of suppliers. Order now, you can have it before the fall hunting season. ARPerformance, Bison, almost every major AR15 maker has good rifles available on short lead times. Get the SPC II chamber and 3-4 lands in 1 in 11 or slower twist.

6.8 is the #1 alternate caliber for the AR15. It was designed to fix complaints about light bullet weights and short range, by an SF soldier with assistance from the Army Marksmanship Unit. Some claim it's not good enough for the Army to adopt, but I suspect the Army is simply waiting for the LSAT round which continues to show potential. No sense picking another brass cased cartridge when telescoped plastic cased ammo at half the weight is all ready to test at the battalion level and with SOCOM.

I believe if you want .243 performance from the short action AR, 6.8 is your best choice.

68wj

July 27, 2010, 10:14 AM

I would not be so quick to say 6.8 is as good as a .243, but you have to look at the other variables. A .243 AR is an AR-10 type rifle. They are heavier and larger with less industry support. I was very close to buying Remingtons R-25 in .243 but the hideous camo job and price slowed me down long enough to research other calibers.

The 6.8 uses an AR-15 type and performs great in shorter, lighter designs. While not equaling a .243, it does great in its own right and anyone with one should not feel under-gunned. There is A LOT of misconception about the caliber that still lingers from its false start years ago. Of course, the m16 had its own issues in the beginning and look where it is today.

winknplink

July 27, 2010, 01:57 PM

Hey, I just read where Armalite is making some more right now. Limited production run based on demand after not making them for the past 6 years.

The picture I saw was a 20" flat-top with standard hand guards & stock and a railed gas block. Saw this blurb in the back of a gun rag last week, fwiw.

"a good 107 gr OTM bullet at 2700 fps from a 16" barrel"
What caliber would this be? I really want an AR in .243 but have been told you have to have a 20"+ barrel...

Doesn't exist. Wish it did. :(

"a good 107 gr OTM bullet at 2700 fps from a 16" barrel" - check the 6.8 SPC II. Barnes 95gr can do that in a AR15. Wait times are not ridiculous, ballistics continue to improve as 6.8 specific bullets are designed, and there are dozens of suppliers. Order now, you can have it before the fall hunting season. ARPerformance, Bison, almost every major AR15 maker has good rifles available on short lead times. Get the SPC II chamber and 3-4 lands in 1 in 11 or slower twist.

Thing is, 95-110 grains in a .270 caliber (or a .257 caliber, for the Grendel fans) doesn't have as good a sectional density or ballistic coefficient as the good old 6mm. I've run the numbers through a basic ballistic calc, and a .243, 107 gr bullet at 2700 fps actually beats a 180 gr .308 in trajectory, and even retained energy at extreme range, unlike the 6.5 and 6.8mm calibers, which only beat 110 gr .308.

6mm really seems to be just about the optimal intermediate caliber. Narrower than that and a 100-ish grain bullet is humorously long, with no ogive. Wider than that, and ballistic coefficient suffers. Of course, a 6mm 107 gr bullet is pretty long, itself. Probably need "telescoped" ammo to make 107 @ 2700 a reality in an assault rifle platform.

Col. Plink

July 27, 2010, 06:02 PM

Alright, so does anyone make an AR-style .243 that's not ugly, that is available, and in the 'right' barrel length? Cost?

browningguy

July 27, 2010, 08:52 PM

You can also get the .243 WSSM (handloading proposition mostly since it is so unpopular) in the AR 15 platform.

An AR10 is 2.5 pounds heavier than a 15, no comparison. It's not the light, handy, and short little brother that every serviceman grew to appreciate carrying for weeks at a time.

"a good 107 gr OTM bullet at 2700 fps from a 16" barrel" - check the 6.8 SPC II. I believe if you want .243 performance from the short action AR, 6.8 is your best choice.
+1, except those actual .243's are interesting and it IS a great cartridge (but that R-25 is fugly!).

They DID have M-1A's in .243.

Al

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